


Invincible

by halfwayslion (livesybaby)



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: M/M, TW mention of child abuse (not graphic), They talk about Stella
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 00:21:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20733146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livesybaby/pseuds/halfwayslion
Summary: Ben's brave, he's always been brave.





	Invincible

“How are you so brave?” Callum asks, fingers pushing softly through Ben’s hair.

“Hm?” Ben murmurs, cracking his eyes open slightly to look up from where his head is lay tiredly in his boyfriends lap “Is this about that spider?” He mumbles sleep-soft, as he thinks back to that morning when Callum had ran through the flat with his towel barely wrapped around his waist yelling something barely coherent about the eight-legged monster in the shower. 

Ben had chuckled while scooping the tiny thing up in a cup and letting it out of the window, swore he could hear Callum’s knees knocking from across the flat. He’d never live it down, Callum knew that - and he was glad to be the butt of all Ben’s jokes if that meant he’d be on insect duty. 

Callum scoffs lightly “Not just that, you know what I mean..” 

“Cal, you’ve been in the army.. in the middle of a battlefield and you’re commending me on my bravery.. in what? Running the Arches?”

“Don’t be soft, you know you’re brave” Callum hums “You’re Ben Mitchell” 

“You’re a sap, you know that Halfway-..” 

“It’s just-..” Callum sighs, not wanting to poke around in Ben’s memories too much “You’ve been through loads, y’know? It’s like nothing can hurt you, you’re invincible” 

“Hm.. I vaguely remember you finding me drunk in Paul’s room, crying like a little girl-..”

“..-That’s different, don’t joke like that-..” Callum shoves his knee, scolding him lightly

They’re quiet for what feels like minutes. Ben’s eyes have fluttered shut again, Callum’s hand still stroking through his hair - soothing him until he’s sure he must have fallen asleep.

“I wasn’t always like this” Ben whispers, sounding younger than his years “I-.. I was a coward, Cal.. still am sometimes..”

“You’re not a coward-..” 

“..It’s a front-..” Ben sighs, shuffling his feet at the bottom of the sofa until he turns and his face is pressed against his boyfriends t-shirt, hiding what looks like a shy blush dancing over his cheeks. Ben’s never done this before, never been so open - readable. “You know what I’m like, make a joke and everything is okay”

“I know” Callum speaks softly, not wanting to interrupt as Ben begins to slip secrets from his lips

“Life’s shit, y’know? It’s what you do with it that makes you who you are..” Ben swallows “..-and-..and I knew I didn’t wanna be a coward for the rest of my life.. I was already the family disappointment, I just-..”

He pushes his head further into Callum’s belly, planting a barely-there kiss into the fabric of his shirt.

“You know about Mum, what happened.. what I got told-..”

“Must have been hard” 

“It was. New life, family I couldn’t remember-.. an expectation to be someone I wasn’t..”

Ben’s silent for a while, collecting his thoughts while he nuzzles lightly against Callum - he’s safe here, could spill all his worldly secrets and not have an ounce of fear. Then why’s it so difficult to speak?

“I had a stepmother.. Stella-..” he chokes out her name “You know you read about those stories when you’re a kid.. the wicked stepmother, the evil witch..”

“I bet you were a right little sod-..” Callum chuckles under his breath, the syllables getting caught in his throat as he watches Ben purse his lips

“I wasn’t like this.. not back then.. just this-.. this camp little kid, destined to be in a musical or something” Ben smiles slightly, remembering his younger years “I was pathetic, honestly.. you’d have never thought I was a Mitchell.. no wonder Dad was so annoyed all the time”

“What about.. Stella?” Callum asks cautiously, like he’s trying to tame a wild animal 

Ben furrows his brow, his face scrunching up slightly as he swallows a few times “Stella was the evil stepmother.. like the one in the stories.. I’ve never seen a woman look at me the way she did.. such-.. disdain..” 

Callum let his thumb brush Ben’s cheekbone, if he felt the wetness below his eyes then he never said a word - Ben was grateful for that. 

“She hurt me-.. Cal.. like really-.. hurt me..” 

He frowns, swallowing back his own emotion as he pulls Ben further into his embrace - wordlessly rubbing circles into his body, trying to calm the sadness he senses from the smaller man. 

“She said if I told anyone-.. that I’d be done for-.. Dad would find me dead in my bed..” 

Callum’s hands still for just a second, a quiet gasp escaping from his mouth before he resumes his role as comforter and sweeps his fingers through Ben’s hair. 

“I was scared-.. So-.. So fucking scared Cal-..” Ben whispers “They were getting married that day, and-.. and there was blood on my shirt..” 

Ben swallows thickly before whispering “It’s the bravest thing I’ve ever done.. standing up in front of everyone and asking for help.. just-.. just for someone to save me..”

“Where is she now.. Stella?” Callum asks quietly

“Dead..” Ben sniffs “I don’t know all the details.. just know that she threw herself off the multi-storey car park and Dad was there.. some think he pushed her.. I don’t know..”

“She’s out of your life though, couldn’t hurt you any more” 

“Yeah.. He-.. Dad I mean-.. he saved me, I guess?”

“No-..” Callum shakes his head sadly “That was all on you Ben, you saved yourself that day”

Ben’s eyes spill over at this point, salty tears soaking the bottom of Callum’s shirt as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend. Ben needed this, needed that release - to know just how truly safe he is with Callum. 

Later they’re lay in bed together, the sheets pulled up underneath Ben’s chin as he places gentle kisses along Callum’s spine, awkwardly spooning the six-foot something, long-legged bastard because secretly he likes the warmth of Callum’s back against his chest. 

“Thank you” Ben whispers, his lips just against the shell of his ear “For listening.. not judging me..”

“Thanks for telling me” Callum responds without missing a beat “For trusting me, it’s-.. you have no idea how much that means”

“I trust you with anything” Ben admits, sliding his palms across Callum’s torso “With my life.. my heart-..” 

“I love you, Ben Mitchell-.. Bravest man I know” Callum whispers, the smile evident in his voice

Ben presses a soft kiss to his shoulder “..and I love you Callum Highway, my hero” 

They chuckle after that, barely used to the cheesiness but needing each one to know just how much they mean. It’s a good nights sleep, together like that - tangled legs beneath the sheets and Ben’s heartbeat against Callum’s skin. 

It’s the first time Callum doesn’t wake up shaking, nightmares plaguing his mind.

He’s got Ben, bravest man he knows - wrapped protectively around his body.

He’s invincible.

**Author's Note:**

> hmu on twitter, tumblr and instagram - @halfwayslion


End file.
